Voto Latino has launched its new countdown initiativeBe Counted, to raise awareness on the importance of Latinos and the Census.

This non-profit, non-partisan organization that was mainly responsible for motivating young Latinos to register to vote in the 2008 presidential elections, has joined forces once again with artists, activists and politicians in a multi-media campaign strategy. Their mission: to get the word out about the Census and to get Latinos to pledge their support. Voto Latino co-founder Rosario Dawson, actressDemi Lovato, actor Wilmer Valderrama, and rapper Malverde are also part of the campaign.

It’s time for you to represent! If you pledge your support at VotoLatino.org/BeCounted, you will not only be raising awareness but you’ll also get 25 FREE SONGS on iTunes from artists such as Aventura, Pitbull, Mos Def and many more.

For those of you who are wondering what all the fuss is about, consider this: 10 years ago Latinos were under-counted, meaning that our communities have been under-funded in proportion to our numbers, and that the Latino voting block has been disregarded. The reality is that we are the largest and fastest-growing ethnic minority group and we need our representatives working for our needs.

While you cannot fill out the Census form online, it will be mailed to all American households in March and it only involves filling out 10 questions. Pledge your support to the Census through Voto Latino, get your 25 free songs, and fill and return the Census form once you get it at home.

It’s 10 minutes, 10 questions, that will impact the next 10 years. Be counted, represent!